When Fernando and Alberto Mendoza played football in the backyard as children, they pictured themselves on bigger stages.
No, they weren’t hitting the Heisman Trophy pose, or thinking about becoming a future Heisman frontrunner. The Mendozas, growing up in South Florida, acted the same as a lot of kids playing around at home — just like Bloomington children who’d imagine themselves as, say, Indiana taking on Notre Dame or Purdue.
“Whenever I was in the backyard playing with Alberto, we’d make up high-pressure situations, whether it was University of Miami versus University of Florida in the national championship, or the Patriots versus the Dolphins. Whatever the situation was, it was a high-pressure situation,” Fernando said Wednesday in a media availability over Zoom. “I know it’s really helped my game — I know it sounds silly because it’s in the backyard and it’s not actual schematic football, but I think it’s helped myself a lot throughout my journey.”
This season at IU, Fernando has lived out some of those pretend scenarios from years ago. He’s led the Hoosiers on game-winning drives late in the fourth quarter at Iowa and Penn State, as well as another impressive finish in their biggest win of the year, at Oregon. When the pressure has risen this season, the redshirt junior has delivered some of his biggest moments.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza delivered in the clutch yet again against Penn State
That clutch gene is a big reason why Mendoza is one of the top contenders to win the Heisman this year. Sportsbooks have him as the favorite going into the penultimate week of the regular season, with around even odds (+100) to win the award. He’d be Indiana’s first-ever Heisman winner. Ohio State sophomore quarterback Julian Sayin is right behind Mendoza as the second-favorite, and Texas A&M redshirt sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed has become a clear-cut No. 3 candidate.
Mendoza, ever humble and focused, emphasized his attention on Indiana’s regular-season finale at Purdue during the bye week. But he acknowledged how special it is to be considered for the Heisman and how he sees it as a reflection on his teammates and his background, as well.
“To be able to have that opportunity and honor to be able to not only do something for yourself but also to glorify into a nationality and to put on for a larger audience is always such an honor and great opportunity,” Mendoza said. “It would be an honor, but honestly, I can’t control those things. I can’t control who gets invited, who gets nominated, who wins. Right now I’m just trying to make the most of my present moment and enjoy it where it is.”
Mendoza’s Heisman candidacy is built around more than just the big moments.
The Miami native leads the nation with 30 touchdown passes — setting an Indiana single-season record — with only five interceptions. His completion percentage at 73 percent ranks third in the nation (Sayin is first, at 80.1 percent). Mendoza is also a real threat on the ground, rushing for 216 yards on 62 attempts this season, with five touchdowns.
He’s been one of the best players in the country all year. Indiana’s quarterback didn’t enter the season on the Heisman radar — an ESPN story from mid-August listed Mendoza at 60-1 odds (+6000) to win the award. But his stock began to rise — rapidly — after IU’s dominant win over Illinois on Sept. 20. The redshirt junior has been among the top candidates for the award since then, which meant an increasingly bright spotlight.
But he hasn’t let that pressure impact him.
“I’d love to sit here and lie to you and say it’s been smooth. However, I would say it’s a little challenging. With any challenge there’s always an opportunity in it: The opportunity to praise the Lord, praise my teammates, praise my coaches,” Mendoza said. “With the spotlight, and with the pressure of it comes a privilege. We are so blessed to be 11-0 at this point, and right now we’re just focused on being 1-0 (in the next game). There are some challenges, but it’s honestly such a great opportunity to give the praise to other people around in this program that they deserve.”
Mendoza has one regular season contest remaining, the Old Oaken Bucket game at Purdue’s Ross-Ade Stadium on Black Friday. Then, in all likelihood, IU will play in the Big Ten Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium. The second-ranked Hoosiers appear on a crash course to battle No. 1 Ohio State in Indianapolis, but No. 7 Oregon, No. 15 USC, and No. 18 Michigan are all still alive as well.
Heisman voting opens on Dec. 1 and closes Dec. 8 — two days after the Big Ten Championship Game, and one day after the College Football Playoff bracket is revealed. So some votes could be submitted before the conference title game, but that matchup in Indianapolis could end up a deciding factor in who wins the trophy.
So, for many Heisman voters, Mendoza has two opportunities left to make his case.
IU’s quarterback has received plenty of advice as this season’s gone along, from his head coach, Curt Cignetti, to TV analysts and former Heisman winners like Matt Leinart, to current Colts quarterback Daniel Jones. And that’s helped Mendoza continue to keep a clear head going through this season with so much attention, with bigger team-oriented goals beyond winning the Heisman Trophy.
“This is so special that although you can kick the can down the road, what an honor it is and how grateful, just giving all the glory to God and how great it is that I’m in this situation,” Mendoza said. “So whenever I hear about it, I’m thankful about it. I don’t have anxiety looking forward to it, like, ‘Oh, what’s going to happen here and there, what if, what if, what if.’ Wow, that’s so cool. I never thought I’d be in this moment at this point. I’ve just got to be grateful for it and keep on chugging because all that matters is this bye week and Purdue.”
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